New Spacey accusations fly as Netflix suspends ‘House of Cards’ series

Hollywood star routinely preyed on young male actors

This image released by Netflix shows Kevin Spacey in a scene from “House Of Cards.” — AP photos

A Mexican actor became the latest to accuse Kevin Spacey of sexual harassment Tuesday, predicting more such claims would emerge as Netflix suspended production of the two-time Oscar winner’s hit series “House of Cards.” Roberto Cavazos, who acted in several plays at London’s Old Vic theater when Spacey was artistic director there from 2004 to 2015, said the Hollywood star routinely preyed on young male actors.

“It seems the only requirement was to be a male under the age of 30 for Mr Spacey to feel free to touch us,” he wrote in a Facebook post. The accusation echoed the claim made Sunday by American actor Anthony Rapp, who said Spacey made a “sexual advance” on him at a party in 1986, when he was 14 and Spacey was 26. Responding to the allegation-and the outraged backlash in its wake-streaming giant Netflix announced it has suspended production of the sixth season of “House of Cards,” the award-winning political drama starring Spacey.

The suspension was “until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew,” said Netflix and producer Media Rights Capital. Season six, which Netflix had already confirmed on Monday would be the final edition of its flagship production, had been scheduled to air in 2018. It is not yet known whether this will change. On Monday, Netflix and MRC said they were “deeply troubled” by the allegations. Spacey, 58, came under a torrent of criticism over the claims and for appearing to deflect the story by finally confirming that he is gay-an open secret in Hollywood for years.

‘Lots more Spacey stories’
As reports emerged that Spacey could face other accusers, Cavazos said he and Rapp were far from alone. “Those of us who crossed paths with (Spacey) in London when he was director of the Old Vic know a whole lot more people will find the courage to tell their stories in the coming days and weeks,” he wrote, in allegations first posted to Facebook on Monday and repeated Tuesday on Twitter.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if there were similar numbers to Weinstein’s,” he added, referring to the dozens of women who have accused Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment, unleashing a torrent of similar accusations against a growing list of rich and powerful men. “There are a lot of us who have a ‘Kevin Spacey story’.”

Cavazos is a stage and screen actor whose credits include the films “Rush” and “El Beso” and a guest appearance on the British TV series “Doctor Who.” He said he fended off two “unpleasant” advances from Spacey that “bordered on harassment.” “If I had been a woman, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about calling it that,” he said. He said Spacey would regularly invite young male actors to “talk about their careers” and surprise them with a champagne picnic where he would make an advance.

“More commonly, he could be found in the theater bar, pressing up against whoever caught his eye. That’s how it was with me the second time. I never gave in, but I know some people who were too scared to stop him,” he said. Earlier, the Old Vic said it was “deeply dismayed” by Rapp’s allegations and encouraged anyone connected to the institution with stories of abuse to contact the theater via a confidential email address. Rapp and Cavazos both said they felt compelled to speak out after the recent accusations against Weinstein sparked an examination of abuses committed by powerful men in entertainment and other industries. – AFP